Going Bowling

Unsure of yourself, you hit the buzzer. If you’re wrong, you just took away a chance of answering from the rest of the team. If you’re right, you earn needed points in the head-to-head match. This is a typical Science Bowl competition, answering esoteric questions on various fields of science and mathematics. Nolan Trafton and Fr. John Pankratz, religion teachers at BCCHS, are coaching the team for the first time this year.

Billings Central Catholic High School’s Science Bowl team had its first practice on November 21. Nolan Trafton and Fr. John Pankratz are both coaching the team for the first time this year. Trafton talked about his first impression of this novel endeavor and said, “Science Bowl is uncharted territory for me, so that is what made me drawn to it. I’m always willing to try something new. I’m grateful to have Fr. John and an experienced team to learn from as I go.”

Fr. John has more experience with Science Bowl, having participated during his time as a student within the Billings Catholic Schools system, although he too is new to coaching. He started by helping his dad, who helped run the local competition, with administrative errands such as logging scores. From there, he competed on both the St. Francis Upper and Central teams, nearly making it to the national competition one year.

Fr. John mentioned his ambitions for the team, “I’m hoping that we’ll be able to make a good run at it and give it our best. It is very fun to go deep into the competition. Unlike other competitions, it is really hard to know how your team stacks up until you get to the day of the competition.”

Last year, Krista Cunningham, who teaches biology as well as human anatomy and physiology at Central, ran the team. Cunningham is helping guide the novice coaches. St. Francis Catholic School also competes in the Science Bowl, providing opportunities for students on their way to Central to gain experience in competitions. Dale Rumph, St. Francis’s 7^th and 8^th Grade science teacher, runs the teams at SFC. The combination of experienced competitors, mentors, and eager coaches will certainly ease the transition for Central’s team.

Another change for the team will be the return of the in-person competition this year. For two years, Science Bowl competitions have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. March 10, 2023, will be the first in-person competition since 2020 and the first in-person competition for several of the team’s members.

Many of the basic ideas of the competition were maintained in virtual competitions, but there were several notable differences. The fast-paced, buzzer-style, team versus team format was changed to a single-team point-based elimination format. Instead of teams defeating their opponents in rounds, the highest point-scoring teams were victorious and advanced to the next round.

Additionally, the team dynamics shifted. An in-person meet involves traveling to Montana State University Billings to compete, whereas virtual competitions were held in spaces available at school. Traveling together allowed for team bonding and exposure to other schools, while virtual competitions allowed teams to enjoy a more comfortable and familiar environment. In-round dynamics were also altered: virtual meets removed the pressure of another team beating you to the buzzer. In-person rounds feature a more intense, fast-paced format in which teammates look to one another to answer questions.

Bowman Seitz, a 9th-grade student at Central who competed on St. Francis’s Science Bowl Team for two years, said, “I am really excited for Science Bowl this year, because I think it will be a brand new experience from last year’s. In-person science bowl will be a lot more inclusive and an all around better event. This year’s science bowl will be different with Mr. Trafton and Father John being the leaders because it will be a learning experience for everyone.”